plato's cave six (being a film journal)

clint eastwood - million dollar baby - 2004

have probably seen this film 10-15 times. grows on me more and more each time. possibly a bit overemotional or heavy of ending, that doesn't bother me. one thing - it has such a spare and unique view of the city of angels, it is hard to bring another view of los angeles like this to mind.

the photography by tom stern, who shot many of eastwood's recent classics including mystic river and gran torino, is restricted to a minimal pallet that confuses the viewer in terms of when the film takes place. the trainer's interest in yeats (see below) and gaelic (see above) reflects very nicely with the mood of the film. yet more than anything, the trio of actors; eastwood swank and freeman, encourages multiple viewings. especially mr. freeman. he is outstanding in every film i have seen him in. it gives one goosebumps.

          the lake isle of innisfree

i will arise and go now, and go to innisfree,
and a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
nine bean-rows will i have there, a hive for the honey-bee;
and live alone in the bee-loud glade.

and i shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping
     slow,
dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket
     sings;
there midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
and evening full of the linnet’s wings.

i will arise and go now, for always night and day
i hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
while i stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
i hear it in the deep heart’s core.

          w. b. yeats

          morgan freeman

- the pawnbroker (man on the street) - 1964,  sidney lumet
- brubaker - 1980, stuart rosenberg
- driving miss daisy - 1989, bruce beresford
- unforgiven - 1992, clint eastwood
- the shawshank redemption - 1994, frank darabont
- se7en - 1995, david fincher
- million dollar baby - 2004, clint eastwood
- batman begins - 2005, christopher nolan
- war of the worlds - 2005, steven spielberg
- gone baby gone - 2007, ben affleck
- the dark knight - 2008, christopher nolan
- the dark knight rises - 2012,  christopher nolan